Born and schooled in Michigan, Greg Schwartz did what most ambitious U-M graduates do: He moved to New York City to find success. But then the digital biz director for Warner Music Group did something few Big Apple bigwigs would ever consider: He moved back to Michigan to run a start-up.
Lou Glazer's think tank, Michigan Future Inc., has been sounding the bell for Michigan's economic transformation for more than a decade and a half. And a vital component of that transformation means keeping and attracting young professionals. Glazer sees some promising trends but has a candid view of what the Ann Arbor region needs to do to help the state's recovery.
New urbanists like to wax poetic about the importance of coffee houses and cafes as society's "third place," a urban destination for social interaction. Once upon a time these places were called diners. Concentrate takes you on a whirlwind tour of A2's and Ypsi's homiest.
Michigan could take a lesson from Healthmedia. From it's early struggles to find local investment to its recent purchase by Johnson & Johnson, the innovative software-as-service company has stayed committed to remaining in Ann Arbor.
If Ann Arbor has a community photographer it's Myra Klarman. Not because she takes wonderfully vibrant snaps of kids and families (she does). Or because she's the official photographer for A2's Summer Festival. It's because she seems hellbent on capturing the spunk and soul of the city in projects like her blog, Relish.
How to attract and keep young talent? That is the question. Concentrate asked three young professionals who live in the city's hottest living commodity – the symbol of all that is youthful, urbane and hip-- the downtown loft --what they think of their digs, their town, and how Ann Arbor can attract and retain more young people just like them.
Google "Eli Cooper" and you're bound to get lots of transportation references. Then there's the inevitable and unofficial moniker: "Czar". As Tree Town's Transportation Program Manager, however, Cooper's title and catchy sobriquet do little to explain his passionate mission to help Ann Arbor rethink the meaning of transportation.
Food, glorious, food. What more could we ask for? Washtenaw Community College is cashing in on the culinary craze, attracting more and more students to its Culinary And Hospitality Management Program. While their grads might not be destined for Iron Chef, there's a good chance they are destined for a job. Plus they get to eat their homework. How cool is that?
Smaller spaces, fewer people, more personalized attention and a soft-core urban setting. Downtown Ann Arbor is nurturing a growing number of small, specialized wellness studios that help define the city's developing core.
Break out the coral, it's CTN's 35th anniversary! One of the first five public cable access stations in the U.S., CTN is far more than a haven for conspiracy theorists and amateur videomakers. It is a revolutionary example of civic engagement, offering unprecedented access to local government , along with educational and community programming.
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